Carvoeiro lies forty-five minutes west of Faro airport. Once a tiny fishing village where the way of life had remained unchanged for centuries, Carvoeiro has grown beyond recognition to accommodate the many visitors to this holiday resort. It remains however a charming place with a wide range of excellent facilities.
Carvoeiro is a picturesque resort which has spread to the east and west of the original village. It has four sandy beaches with opportunities for water sports. With an ample sufficiency of shops and excellent restaurants Carvoeiro is the place to go for sun, sea, sand and relaxation.
Carvoeiro is popular with a wide range of holidaymakers. Families enjoy the sand and safe beaches, water sports enthusiasts can find many activities to fill their day while couples may wish to explore the isolated coves and inland villages. There are a number of music bars and discos to entertain the young in the evening.
Carvoeiro has hot dry summers and pleasant winters making it a year-round holiday destination. The summer is the most popular time with sun seekers and beach lovers flocking to its shores in their thousands.
Carvoeiro has developed into a thriving popular resort well placed to enjoy the many leisure activities both in and around its borders. The centre of the original town with its narrow streets retains some of the atmosphere and charm of those bygone days.
There are four main beaches all with fine sand and sheltered by tall cliffs whose tops are spread with hotels and apartments like icing on a cake. The beaches shelve gently into the crystal waters of the ocean making it safe for paddling children and weak swimmers. There is wide provision for water sports including surfing, water skiing, sailing and diving. A good beach for surfing is Pintimao, eight kilometres west of Carvoeiro. There is big game fishing from Portimao where anglers can try their hand at landing blue merlin, swordfish or even a shark or two.
Golfers will find a thirty-six hole complex nearby as well as an additional nine hole course. Tennis and lawn bowling are also available.
There are buses to the hugely popular Slide and Splash Water Park which has attractions to suit everyone from ‘nervous Nellies’ to ‘kamikaze Kevins’.
There is also transport available to Crazy World which lies twenty-five kilometres from Carvoeiro. This is ideal for children having a large mini-golf course, a crodile park, a stroking farm (not to be confused with the crocodile park), quad bikes and a swimming pool.
Inland Silves, the ancient capital when the Moors ruled the land, is certainly worth a visit. Its large old castle reflects the glory of its former status.
Apart from its wonderful climate, sand and sea a Carvoeiro holiday offers a wealth of leisure activities and entertainments which will surely fulfil the expectations of visitors.
Nightlife in Carvoeiro is fairly lively with many pubs, music bars and a few discos. There are excellent restaurants where evenings can be enjoyed in a more intimate atmosphere.
There is an ample number of shops providing for the needs of visitors as well as many gift and souvenir stalls and shops selling pottery, leather goods, jewellery and embroidered linens to name but a few of the most popular items. There is also a market on the first Monday of the month in Portimao which is fifteen kilometres to the west of Carvoeiro.
Carvoeiro has a large number of restaurants which cater for most tastes. The range of menu is wide encompassing fast foods and haute cuisine. Fish and shellfish feature prominently on the menus with fish stews and grilled sardines being firm favourites. Chicken piri piri is another traditional dish that should not be missed. Wines are an excellent accompaniment to dinner, while the almond liqueur or, for chocolate lovers the Alfarroba liqueur, is a great way to relax at the end of the day.
